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Routines can get…routine, right? Whether you’re a stay-at-home mama or work outside the home. But as I watched my 3-year-old kiddo prancing through the house naked…again {just can’t keep clothes on that boy}, I thought about some of my favorite “routines” as a mama. Other than the typical dishes/laundry/supper/keeping clothes on your child tasks. Things I try to incorporate into Bradley’s life as often as possible.

Here are a few:

• Popcorn & Movie Night - Every Sunday evening, we get a movie from Redbox {hopefully with a free code} and pop some popcorn in yummy coconut oil. Xon is working a lot right now, so I am pretty much responsible for Bradley at all times. I made up this little tradition to give myself a break on the weekend, and we both look forward to the change of pace. Even if it is always a cartoon! c-:

• Group Hug – This is definitely one of my favorites! When the three of us are together, I sometimes shout “Group hug!” Xon and I run over to Bradley and smother him with kisses and a big hug. The sound of his giggles does my heart good and makes us feel like a team.

• Best Boy in the World – If I’m snuggling Bradley to sleep, I often whisper to him, “How did I get the best boy in the whole world? I must be very blessed.” I’ve done it so many times, he knows what I’m going to say and smiles. I can’t imagine a better way to drift off to sleep!

• Picnic Time – Bradley is really into picnics. So when the weather is nice, we pack up lunch and head down to the pond with a blanket and some books. We take a long walk, read, kick a ball, and laugh at our dog, Casey. Bradley loves this time, and I am thankful I can give it to him.

• Bible Stories – Yes, this one involves more snuggling! Bradley is such a little snuggle bug, and I am soaking it all up while I can! After we read books at night, we listen to about 20 minutes of a Bible stories CD I got from The Learning Parent. Bradley puts his head on my shoulder and listens to “Uncle Rick” read from the KJV. I hope it soaks into his soul!

What are some of your favorite routines/traditions as a Mama?

I know many of you are stay-at-home moms with toddlers running about. Jessica from Simple Mom Solutions came up with a great game to entertain her little one. Check out her ABC Jar, where making up the game is fun in itself!

Would you like your post to be featured on Frugal Femina? E-mail the link to Katie at frugalfemina@gmail.com.

Today I’m sharing a little Mommy Moment over at Kim’s site, Mom Tried It. It’s about how I made Bradley run a one-legged race!

Check out my guest post over at Melissa’s blog, The Sassy Saver. I’m talking about some quiet time bins I made to put in my Mama arsenal.

Guest Post by Dawn Lippman

Autumn is still a few weeks away, but already where I live the trees are beginning to trade the green of summer for fall’s fireworks. Some are even dropping their leaves, scattering crisp specks of yellow on the still-emerald grass. My children and I recently enjoyed our first fall-like excursion of the year. Hand-in-hand they navigated the forest near our home, expressing wonder at treasure after treasure they discovered along the wooded path. I followed, watching and listening—and wishing I could save the set of footprints they left in the crunchy leaves and spongy forest floor.

Science increasingly affirms the significance of such moments. Fetal cells multiply at a lightning-fast rate, forming neurons that organize and create the regions of the brain that control various abilities. At birth, those billions of neurons continue to fire and form a complex neural circuitry according to which cells are exercised and which ones are not. Moments spent blowing dandelion wishes, marveling at snowflakes, digging for worms: They help form lifelong pathways in our heads.

Even today, when I visit my childhood home, I feel a unique kind of contentment. It’s as if the hills and valleys are puzzle pieces that fit into perfect position on the landscape of my brain—a landscape uniquely shaped by time spent exploring those woods, catching fireflies, and admiring the stars. I hope I’m providing the same depth of memory for my kids.

Children learn by playing, and nature is where innate, playful curiosity meets cosmic opportunity to learn and grow. Faced with a steady stream of electronic entertainment and fast food and jam-packed schedules, however, many children aren’t being given regular invitations to nurture a connection with nature through leisurely, down-to-earth play. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, makes a powerful case against the pervasive disregard of that connection. It’s a broken bond that starves us all of meaningful mental, spiritual and physical fruits. The solution, however, is simple. And it starts in our own backyards.

Make sure your kids (and you, for that matter!) have plenty of time for unstructured outdoor play each day: time to get their hands dirty, time to splash in puddles, time to look up at the sky and rest and wonder. Regular interaction with the outdoors nourishes a relationship that’s fundamental to healthy living. Pull out your calendar and schedule an hour—or better yet, two or three—if that helps. Take lots of time this fall to create your own melody of footprints in the leaves. It’s an impression that reaches deep—into our children, our homes, and our world.

Have you met my friends Jenny and Emily over at Mommin’ It Up!? You haven’t? Well then, Femina readers, meet Jenny and Emily. Jenny and Emily, meet the Femina readers. There…Now you’ve been properly introduced.

I went to college with Jenny, and though I didn’t know Emily, I think Jenny’s pretty swell, so Emily must be, too. I especially like Emily since she posted this video. It is hard to be a SAHM sometimes. We won’t go into all that. But this video will lift your spirits and remind you what you’re doing all this for.

I love that when I say, “Hey” to my son, he smiles, kisses me, and says, “I love you, Mama.” Why would he do that? Because he knows that’s what I’m going to do next. Give him a big ol’ kiss, look him straight in the eye, and tell him I love him. I love that he knows that.

And when he frustrates the tar out of me teaches me a valuable lesson about patience when he doesn’t pay attention and keeps accidentally breaking my beloved Fiesta dishes, it’s ok. Really.

Of course, right now, he’s telling the John Deere tractor key he loves it. But that’s all good. He’s just payin’ it forward. And that makes my heart glad.

I hope you like the video as much as I did. Thanks, Emily!

Parenting.com needs moms to sign up to review products for them. Fill out a short form, and they will contact you when they need your help. You even get to keep the products you test for them! How fun is that?!

They’re also letting you download some free audiobooks here.

I thought some of you might be interested in hearing about Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! scholarship program. If your son or daughter is a senior in high school, they can send in an essay and application for the $5,000 award. The deadline is February 15, 2010. Check out the details here.

I was inspired by Crystal’s post at Mom of Littles to make a chore chart for Bradley. So I got one from Sonbeams, and it arrived on Wednesday.

So here is Bradley’s chore chart, in case you are interested. (He’s 23 months.) He really enjoys doing the chores on the list, and I am glad to be a little more organized and focused. Hopefully it will even help me remember to brush his teeth.